Erythropoietin (Epo) is a glycoprotein hormone necessary for the maturation of erythroid progenitor cells into erythrocytes. It is produced in the kidney and is essential in regulating levels of red blood cells in the circulation. Conditions marked by low levels of tissue oxygen signal increased production of Epo, which in turn stimulates erythropoiesis. A loss of kidney function as is seen in chronic renal failure (CRF), for example, typically results in decreased production of Epo and a concomitant reduction in red blood cells.
Human urinary Epo was purified by Miyake et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 252, 5558 (1977)) from patients with aplastic anemia. However, the amount of purified Epo protein obtained from this source was insufficient for therapeutic applications. The identification and cloning of the gene encoding human Epo and expression of recombinant protein was disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,008 to Lin, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. A method for purification of recombinant human erythropoietin from cell medium is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,016 to Lai et. al., which is incorporated herein by reference. The production of biologically active Epo from mammalian host cells has made available, for the first time, quantities of Epo suitable for therapeutic applications. In addition, knowledge of the gene sequence and the increased availability of purified protein has led to a better understanding of the mode of action of this protein.
Both human urinary derived Epo (Miyake et al. supra) and recombinant human Epo expressed in mammalian cells contain three N-linked and one O-linked oligosaccharide chains which together comprise about 40% of the total molecular weight of the glycoprotein. N-linked glycosylation occurs at asparagine residues located at positions 24, 38 and 83 while O-linked glycosylation occurs at a serine residue located at position 126 (Lai et al. J. Biol. Chem. 261, 3116 (1986); Broudy et al. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 265, 329 (1988)). The oligosaccharide chains have been shown to be modified with terminal sialic acid residues with N-linked chains typically having up to four sialic acids per chain and O-linked chains having up to two sialic acids. An Epo polypeptide may therefore accommodate up to a total of 14 sialic acids.
Various studies have shown that alterations of Epo carbohydrate chains can affect biological activity. In one study, however, the removal of N-linked or O-linked oligosaccharide chains singly or together by mutagenesis of asparagine or serine residues that are glycosylation sites sharply reduces in vitro activity of the altered Epo that is produced in mammalian cells (Dube et. al. J. Biol. Chem. 263, 17516 (1988)). However, DeLorme et al. (Biochemistry 31, 9871-9876 (1992)) reported that removal of N-linked glycosylation sites in Epo reduced in vivo but not in vitro biological activity.
The relationship between the sialic acid content of Epo and in vivo biological activity was disclosed by determining the in vivo activity of isolated Epo isoforms. It was found that a stepwise increase in sialic acid content per Epo molecule gave a corresponding stepwise increase in in vivo biological activity as measured by the ability of equimolar concentrations of isolated Epo isoforms to raise the hematocrit of normal mice (Egrie et al. Glycoconjugate J. 10, 263 (1993)). Those Epo isoforms having higher sialic acid content also exhibited a longer serum half-life but decreased affinity for the Epo receptor, suggesting that serum half-life is an important determinant of in vivo biological activity.
Introduction of new glycosylation sites in the Epo polypeptide can result in the production of molecules with additional carbohydrate chains. See PCT Publication Nos. WO91/05867 and WO94/09257 hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Epo glycosylation analogs having at least one additional N-linked carbohydrate chain and/or having at least one additional O-linked carbohydrate chain are disclosed. A glycosylation analog having one additional N-linked chain was determined to have a longer circulating half-life compared to recombinant human Epo (rHuEpo) (isoforms 9-14) and to a purified isoform of rHuEpo having 14 sialic acids per molecule.
Administration of recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEpo) is effective in raising red blood cell levels in anemic patients with end stage renal disease (Eschbach et al. New Eng. J. Med. 316, 73-38 (1987)). Subsequent studies have shown that treatment with rHuEpo can correct anemia associated with a variety of other conditions. (Fischl et al. New Eng. J. Med. 322, 1488-1493 (1990); Laupacis, Lancet 341, 1228-1232 (1993). Regulatory approvals have been given for the use of rHuEpo in the treatment of anemia associated with CRF, anemia related to therapy with AZT (zidovudine) in HIV-infected patients, anemia in patients with non-myeloid malignancies receiving chemotherapy, and anemia in patients undergoing surgery to reduce the need of allogenic blood transfusions. Current therapy for all approved indications (except the surgery indication) involves a starting dose of between 50-150 Units/kg three times per week (TIW) administered either by an intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SC) injection to reach a suggested target hematocrit range. For the surgery indication, rHuEpo is administered every day 10 days prior to surgery, on the day of surgery, and four days thereafter (EPOGEN® Package Insert, Dec. 23, 1996). In general, the current recommended starting doses for rHuEpo raise hematocrit into the target range in about six to eight weeks. Once the target hematocrit range has been achieved, a maintenance dosing schedule is established which will vary depending upon the patient, but is typically three times per week for anemic patients with CRF. The administration of rHuEpo described above is an effective and well-tolerated regimen for the treatment of anemia.
It would be desirable to have a therapeutic with greater potency than rHuEpo. An advantage to such a molecule would be that it could be administered less frequently and/or at a lower dose. Current treatments for patients suffering from anemia call for administration of EPOGEN® three times per week and for surgery patients administration once per day. A less frequent dosing schedule would be more convenient to both physicians and patients, especially those patients who do not make regularly scheduled visits to doctor's offices or clinics, or those who self-inject their Epo. Another advantage of a more potent molecule is that less drug is being introduced into patients for a comparable increase in hematocrit.
It is therefore an object of the invention to identify more potent molecules for the treatment of anemia which will permit a less frequent dosing schedule. It is a further object of the invention to provide molecules which will increase and maintain hematocrit at levels which are at least comparable to that of Epo when administered at a lower dose. It is also an object of the invention that these molecules selected for less frequent dosing is at least as well tolerated as rHuEpo and potentially better tolerated in some patients.